The 拢12.6m project, designed by Purcell, is in former Lutyens library at grade I Greenwich institution
Four new galleries at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich have opened to the public following a renovation and redevelopment project led by Purcell.
The scheme has converted the grade I-listed building鈥檚 Cairn Library and staff offices to bring non-public areas back into life with sections dedicated to Tudor and Stuart seafarers, polar worlds, Pacific encounters, and 鈥渟ea things鈥�.
Purcell鈥檚 new spaces are linked to the main museum via a ramped bridge which improves accessibility and visitor circulation.
However, the project also required the remodelling 鈥� and in some cases removal 鈥� of joinery in the library that was designed by Edward Lutyens, including book presses and panelling.
Purcell said Lutyens鈥� woodwork had been sensitively repaired, refurbished and incorporated within the design of the new galleries 鈥渨herever possible鈥�, while the book presses had been relocated to Oxford鈥檚 Story Museum with the consent of Historic England and Greenwich council.
The works, which had a projected cost of 拢12.6m at their outset, have also seen the repair and redecoration of the museum鈥檚 historically significant rotunda, which was also designed by Lutyens, and which houses a bust of the instituion鈥檚 founding benefactor, James Caird.
Purcell said the project 鈥� conducted in conjunction with the museum鈥檚 curators and exhibition designers Casson Mann 鈥� had created 40% more permanent exhibition space at the NMM, allowing it to display more artefacts than ever before.
In 2011 the practice completed the 拢35m Sammy Ofer Wing, which was originally designed by CF Moller. It also worked with artist Yinka Shonibare to design and position a plinth to display the 鈥淣elson鈥檚 Ship in a Bottle鈥� artwork 鈥� a sculpture of a scale replica of the HMS Victory in a bottle.
The Heritage Lottery Fund contributed 拢4.7m towards the cost of the four galleries project.
Other firms to work on the scheme included structural engineer Morph Structures, M&E engineer Hoare Lee and QS Summers Inman.
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